To recap:
If you are new to The Direct Approach, this project is about encouraging new writing and first-time and emerging directors. We invited submissions of plays from local writers which are approximately 30 minutes long. We had a fabulous range of submissions and these were whittled down to a shortlist of 6. We then had a equally fabulous response to our call out for aspiring directors. 9 people applied.
A series of meetings took place at which applicants were invited to pitch to direct their top two choices from the shortlist of 6 plays.
The result is that we have decided The Direct Approach 2026 will be another double bill of new plays staged upstairs at The Black Swan Inn, Peasholme Green with performances over four nights.
Rebecca Saw will direct Magic Hour by Jon Mills
James Reilly will direct Ghost Signs by Mick Taylor
There’s more about each play below, including a breakdown of parts.
Now we are looking for actors who are available for the 4 performances: Sunday 22nd to Wednesday 25th November.
We are holding auditions at two different venues:
Clementhorpe Community Centre: Thursday 1st October 7:30 – 9:30pm
Southlands Methodist Church: Friday 2nd October 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Southlands Methodist Church: Saturday 3rd October 2pm – 5pm
Please click on this link to sign up for an audition:
https://forms.gle/
AND ANOTHER THING
If this wasn’t exciting enough, we’ve decided to run another double bill of Direct Approach plays in April 2027. We found this cohort of writers and director applicants were very strong and we wanted to create another opportunity to pair new plays with aspiring directors and to get them put on. Thank you to everyone who took the time to apply this year. It’s been our busiest yet!
